Comfort in a stranger
by Vitalini
Summary: Aerith is worried about her what she has to do to protect the planet and her friends. While walking alond in Cid's ship she comes across someone she realizes she doesn't know but finds understanding and strength in them. [A Vincent AerithAeris moment ]


Title: Comfort in a stranger  
Authoress: Vitalini  
Rating: T  
Summary: Aerith is worried about her what she has to do to protect the planet and her friends. While walking alond in Cid's ship she comes across someone she realizes she doesn't know but finds understanding and strength in them. A Vincent Aerith/Aeris moment

Warning: possible spoilers if you don't know the plot

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of this fic, I wished i did but thats life.

Author's note: I did this as a thank you to my friend Zoe, I promised her I would write something with Aerith and Vincent in it since she loves them to bits. I have further incentive to write this as She cosplays as aerith and her Boyfriend Jason whom we met at our first expo was cosplaying as Vincent . (in between she is quite a Aerith/Vicnet fan) .

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Comfort in a stranger…

I don't usually wander around by myself, but I felt so restless today I just had to go exploring in Cid's ship. It is not as if I had not seen it all before. Still I felt the desire to roam about, unable to stand on the deck any longer.

I felt bad for Tifa. I was confused myself. I liked Cloud as much as I had Zack; he is so like him yet so different. _Was I attracted to him because of my old love_? I do not know. _Is it just intrigue or more_? Then there was Tseng, there seemed to be so men in my life but I had never had the opportunity to get close to them, not properly anyway. I sometimes wondered what fuelled the attraction, love or lust.

Moving further down the dark metal corridors, gently stoking the pipes with my pale fingers, I continued to think. It was so hard to appease my thoughts right now, being an Ancient I really did have enough on my back and some responsibility for the Planet, worrying about love should not come into the equation.

_Would I survive this_? There were so many people after me yet I had found sanctuary with AVALANCHE. I didn't want to upset Tifa, I guess I'm more outgoing with my feelings than she is. I know she is attracted to Cloud, but I can't help being so either. Well I think so. Maybe my fear that I only had a short time left is fuelling my pursuit to find stable love before the end.

I wanted to be like Tifa, she is so strong-willed and ordinary. She has never been kept with Hojo, sure her family is dead just like mine but her goal is to seek revenge. She can give up if she wants to return to an ordinary life. I can't, not until this is over perhaps but I'm bound to this for the sake of the Planet and all my friends.

Sometimes I wish I could fight like Tifa, my main strength is healing but she always seems so outwardly stronger than I do. We get along, even though we both pursue the same man. I know he is more interested in me and that is what makes our friendship harder. She is slightly jealous of my more open personality while I envy her skill and talent.

Since Yuffie came aboard things had gotten livelier. She is carefree and playful though we still keep our materia well away from her - just in case. She annoys Cid, who aggravates her in turn and meal times are nosier than they ever were before. I liked it. When I stopped to compare my childhood with my life now, I know I've never been happier. I loved my mothers, both of them. I would not be where I am now if it wasn't for them. I still miss my real mum, the way she used to sing to me in are cell to hush my sobs. If she could see me_, would she be proud_?

I felt a small tear trickle down the side of my face and brushed it away. I'd see my mother again becuase deep down I knew I wasn't going to live through this.

"Who's there?"

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I heard her footsteps before her soft gasp. I had called out unsure of who was wandering around. I usual found this room a quiet sanctuary, this was the first time I'd heard someone other than myself here. Sitting on top of one of the boxes at the back of the storage room, where the light had blown ages ago, I watched her walk through the aisles, her head disappearing in and out of view searching for me. I didn't know if I wanted her to find me or not, I could easily sneak off and leave her looking but that felt wrong. I had been the first to speak, yet I didn't reply as she called out my name curiously. Accustomed to being alone, I was reluctant to share this place where I dwelled on my deepest thoughts. I had been coming here more often since that loud ninja girl had joined us and I feared it had been her coming down those stairs. Rising from my seat, I stepped out of the dense shadows and made my way over to here. From the sounds of things, she was going in the opposite direction. It was cold down her, she might get sick and then I would be in trouble. I didn't want to be accused of calling her in here only to leave her to catch a cold or something.

I didn't like to admit I cared, it kept people distant and myself distant from them. Unfortunately, I seemed compelled to look out for others. _Why_? I had no idea. I was trained a Turk, so according to myth I should be heartless and uncaring, but that was far from true. Turks felt as much, if not more then anyone else. I understood why the Turks would spent as much of their vacation getting as drunk as possible, I knew why Reno pretended not to care and Rude didn't speak. Elena was young but she would grow fast, they all did. I have no love for ShinRa, only immense pity for its workers. They were bound to serve the company as my heart was bound to the past and the revenge I so desired to take out on Hojo. My history as a Turk only made getting closer to others more impossible.

I sometimes came down here just to get away from the obvious courting between Tifa, Aerith and Cloud. I cannot lie. It hurt to watch, Cloud had the opportunity to have a life with the woman of his dreams, while my love remained unrequited. So many times I'd come down here to watch the rats and shadows play on the dirty metal floor, with tears threatening in my eyes. I never let them come out, _why should I cry_? More importantly, _why didn't Cid clean down here_?

As I moved down the rows of crates and barrels, tracing her footsteps marked in the dust I felt tired. _Why is it that those with great burdens seek sanctuary in darkness?_

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I could not find him. I was certain I'd heard his voice before. The inky darkness scared me a little. The cool draft that circulated round the room forced me to clutch my shivering limbs, bringing them tighter against my chest. I felt Goosebumps all over my skin. We were flying at a high altitude so the air was crisp and chilling. I decided to head back, he most probably wouldn't want me bothering him anyway.

As I turned round, I bumped straight into something soft and warm.

Looking up my blue eyes met blood red ones; I felt relief sweep over me. I wasn't going insane.

Behind that pale unchanging mask I saw slight concern and felt bad to have worried him.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled looking down again, I wasn't usually this shy but we were so close and it's not like we spoke often. It always amazed me how solemn he was. He was meant to be over fifty or sixty years old, I couldn't imagine him being older then how he looked now. I had joke that staying asleep for thirty years was an amazing achievement, since recently sleep seemed to escape me.

I shivered again, time seemed to stretch on, he had moved to the side of me and we had begun walking in silence. _He must be leading me back out_ I thought. Glancing around I realised how far I'd gone and knew I would have gotten lost if he hadn't found me. _Have people died just by getting lost in a storage room_? My limbs were freezing up, I guessed we were going over the glacier. Still it prevented me from moving very fast, as my legs didn't want to move. He walked ahead of me briskly, I wanted to talk to him and he kept looking over his shoulder at me, as if he was about to say something but thought better of it. My chest felt heavier.

Maybe I was feeling guilty; I was quite sensitive to people's feelings, but not sensitive enough to give up on some things, such as my pursuit of Cloud despite Tifa's desire. Right now I felt guilty because I knew why Vincent had come down here, like he often did most probably. I had been playfully teasing Cloud this morning and we had been happily talking, as any couple would do. Tifa had been looking on but I had been so happy then that I carried on, though I had beckoned over to her once or twice but she hadn't joined us. Likewise Vincent had been observing, I was aware of his love for Lucrecia all those years ago and though I didn't know much I guessed it hadn't worked out for whatever reason. Watching me, court with Cloud must hurt him as much as it hurt Tifa, though for a different reason. I couldn't help but feel dirty.

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I looked back at her again, she had slowly become more subdued and I wondered what as wrong with her. She'd said something earlier, so mumbled I couldn't make it out, though it sounded like an apology. Not wanting to make a fool of myself, I had simply lead her back through the maze of storage items. I was not in much of a hurry, but she was slowly lagging further and further behind. The temperature dropped as we reached the glacier. I felt the need to say something, but words of reassurance and comfort escaped me. They would have sounded hollow anyway. I was curious as to what was paining the usually happy and kind woman.

I looked back again to find she had gone completely. Halting I scanned the corridor, I could see quite far but she wasn't in my line of vision. I grew concerned. You would not image having such a concern in a storeroom; the place couldn't be that big so she would most probably just be down the corridor. _What if she had lost sight of me and taken a wrong turn_? I would have to go looking for her all over again. The slight breeze going down from the open door blew at my cape and the chill finally got under my clothes. Wrapping my cloak around me with my clawed hand, I went back to look for her. It wasn't long before I found her huddled up and shivering on the floor. When I see Cid, I am going to tell him to build a ship with better insulation and to clean the storeroom more often, and fix the lights while he was at it, maybe put in a few heaters.

I knelt down next to her, she was awake but her fingers were blue with cold. We had been down here too long. Sighing I draped my cape around her and hugged her. I felt extremely awkward and her chilled form stole my heat away from me. It had been a long time since I'd felt anyone like this. How I wanted to hold Lucrecia and protect her when I had had the chance. Instead, over thirty years later, I was clutching the Ancient, the woman who the whole planet depended on. She was just as burdened as I was with responsibility and I felt a new respect for her, holding her fragile body close to mine. We both had powers that none of the others could even phantom, hers the ability to call on Holy and mine the cursed ability to turn into Chaos and be the host of the protomateria. She was like an angle while I was a monster.

Her teeth slowly stopped chattering and gentle I pulled her up, she leaned on me for warmth and support. I knew her history with Hojo, like Cloud and myself, she had been made a test subject, no one else could imagine the horrors we had gone through in those dark labs. The more I thought the more connected I felt with Aerith, we weren't all that different. She wriggled a bit and looked up, the smile returned to her face. We had both warmed up considerably.

"Are you alright now?" She nodded still holding on to me like a lost child. I felt her heart beating faster, her chest was so close to me; I had an arm round her shoulder for support. Her clothes weren't really suited to the cold.

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I was slightly shocked and immensely relieved when I had felt the warm cloth fall over me. So cold I had instantly snuggled into it, the darkness brought back horrible memories and the feeling of being abandoned, lost and alone seeped into me from those thoughts. I was not strong like Tifa; I needed support, so I clung desperately to Vincent, holding in stupid tears that I had cried before. He was kind, considering he was so withdrawn all the time and even a bit scary. He held on to me, allowing me to share his warmth and I willingly did so. Never really knowing the enigmatic man before, shame rose inside me again. He hadn't been with us long, but I hadn't taken the time to get to know him. He always hung in the background, silently observing us. I wondered what he felt when he watched us; what went on in his mind; what had happened to him to turn him into what he was today and was he always this quiet. Slowly I developed the desire to know more about him, I may not have long on this earth, and my final destination seemed to be speeding towards me, but that only fuel my desire to know. Every mile we covered, every hour that past brought me closer to the inevitable end. This misgiving had been growing stronger inside of me and I did not reply when he asked me if I was all right.

I felt a tentative pressure on my chin making me look up. Once again, I was looking to dark red pools that calmly studied my face. I was crying. I guess that was answer enough to his question for he allowed my head to slowly fall back down. I felt worse since my troubles were obviously going to trouble him now; he was burdened enough without me crying all over him. I tried to force back the tears. He stirred me as we walked and I saw the stair ahead, illuminated in a yellow glow. He was holding me closer now but I felt his unease. I guess he wasn't used to someone crying on him for what appeared to be no reason. I wanted to tell him. I wanted to tell someone about my thoughts. None of them would like it, I didn't want to scare or upset them. I felt compelled to tell Vincent but was even more reluctant. I tried harder to stop the tears.

My efforts must have been noisy because we stopped. He turned me round to face him. My eyes were sore and puffy. He watched me, as tears rolled silently down my cheeks. Looking at his concerned face quietened my sniffling. Carefully he wiped the last tears away, his metal thumb brushing against my skin. My mother had done the same thing so many times before and I felt a fresh load well up. I restrained them, even though they blurred my vision.

"Just cry," His voice was barely a whisper and I saw a tear roll down his cheek to. This shocked me and droplets of water flowed from my eyes yet again, but I wondered why he was crying. Had I upset him in some way?

"I'm sorry," I cried and suddenly embraced him tightly, wrapping my arms around his waist, nuzzling my head into him, wanting to comfort and to be comforted. He did not pull away as I'd half expected him to, instead he returned the gesture. His strong arms embraced me and I felt his cheek rest on my head.

Inside me, I felt something drop away and I lightened. He squeezed me a little and I did the same. My tears stopped but water damped my hair and I felt a single drop hit my shoulder. I could not understand why he was crying, just as he mustn't have understood my tears. He relaxed as I did and we seemed to melt into each other, all unease and tension gone. _Perhaps we all we needed was a stranger's shoulder to cry on_.

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I clung to her. When she suddenly hugged me, something inside of me gave way. I had never felt like this before, all the anger and rage seemed to seep away. For a brief moment, I was unburdened. Without the pent up rage, those tears I'd been holding on for so long finally flooded from my eyes. I didn't care, she wouldn't judge me. I had seen her cry; it was only fair she saw my tears. It felt strange to weep, but I loved the release it gave me. Would I ever cry like this again? Her soft hands stroked my hair and my fingers were caught in her own locks. She had stopped crying, but held on to me waiting for me to finish. I allowed my self to relax fully; it was so much easier now then pretending not to care. Water still streamed from my eyes and we stood there, lost in are own thoughts. It took me a while to realise I was stroking her back, while she gentle soothed and caressed me in return. We had not really spoken and I didn't understand her anymore then she understood me, but neither of us let go. I understood why Cloud would be so fond of her. He was troubled and with her, he would find understanding and a relief from the pain, until gradually it all went away. I had loved Lucrecia and still did, but maybe if I was born at a different time and my path had crossed with Aerith's, maybe I would have fallen for her instead. She was more than Lucrecia was in so many ways. However, a monster like me was not deserving of such a loving woman. I'd been hurt by Lucrecia and I still didn't know why she had been so cruel to me, what I did wrong, why she preferred to give herself to Hojo and turn her baby into the menace that threatened the planet. Aerith would do none of these things.

"Vincent," she spoke softly into my chest, "are you alright?" In response I simply hugged her tighter, since waking from that long sleep I'd never felt better. I could not put my feeling into words but by the sound of her voice, I knew we were experiencing similar feelings. Her fingers continued to play in my long dark hair.

"Are you alright?" I directed my deep voice into her ear and she giggled a bit. She pulled away slightly and faced me. My face was so close to hers, our noses almost touched. I gave her a puzzled look but was pleased to see the tears had gone, though my chest was considerably damper then it had been. I noticed the wet mark on her red jacket and the droplets in her hair sparkling in the yellow light that fell around us.

"I feel lighter now." She smiled as if she was thanking me. I began to pull away but she held on to me looking me in the eye, worry returning to her face. "Can I tell you something?"

I nodded, allowing her to curl her arms around me again.

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I hated to burden him, but desperately needed to tell someone. Hiding my face in his chest I told him of my misgivings, "I don't think I'll come out of this alive. I know I shouldn't say this but I feel my time on this earth is coming to an end and ….I'm scared." I whispered the last part so quietly I wasn't sure I had even said it. He was silent and unmoving, tension rising in him and my own tears threatened again. I tighten my hold on him. I sought security in him; I thought I'd cried enough for one day. He was shaking himself; I imagined his original sorrow returning. I regretted saying anything but to my surprise he pulled me away and we were looking into each other's eyes once again. He jaw was tight, and I realised the sadness in his eyes now was for me. He was struggling with what to say. But the way he cupped my face in his palm seemed so say enough. He didn't want me to die, he wanted me to stay. Yet his sadness conveyed more then that. He recognized it was my destiny as he had his own. I was grateful our paths had met even for a brief moment. He had lost his way in the world as I imagined many others would. I was scared of dying yet I had reached out for someone who couldn't age and would live longer then any other man whose burden was to live as mine was to die. I was looking into the eyes of a man who had considered death so many times yet struggled on with life, while I clung to it, afraid of the beyond. I wanted to understand him so much. I'd never really thought about him before, but to me, now, he was brave and strong. I couldn't help the curl in my lips as I moved the hair from his eyes. He knew he had comforted me somehow; I had stolen some of his determination and strength. I would face death to save my friends and I would do so willingly. They thought they'd lose me, but I loved them with all my heart so I would never leave them. I finally saw now, I'd watch over them, even in death and do my best to help them on their own journeys. I could pretend that together we might make it through this alive, even though I knew the truth but at least now, I could accept it.

Vincent still studied me, wondering what was going through my mind. It amazed me how one look had eased my troubles and I examined him in turn. I didn't know what I was looking for and just relaxed into his hold. Eventually he gave up to and we eased away from each other but remained close. I felt like I was floating.

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I glanced at her again. The touch of her hand on my cheek had caused tingles to course through me. What she had seen as she had looked at me remained a mystery, but I did not feel burdened by her secret. That could have been what had caused her tear and I did not blame her. I didn't want to lose her and couldn't help thinking if Lucrecia hadn't gone with Hojo; hadn't had a baby; hadn't given him over to science then Aerith wouldn't have to die. I felt angered that I had failed to stop them; it quickly passed as Aerith brushed against my side. She had changed in front of me. I saw a will that I had never seen there before, new determination shown in her eyes. As she strode beside me, I thought her the strongest woman I had ever or will ever know and my respect for her grew.

When we reached the stairs, I gestured for her to go on since I planned to stay down here a while longer. She had given me plenty to think about. As she reached the top I called out, "I feel lighter now."

I was stunned at myself, _why had I said that_. She beamed at me, looking even more like an angel as the light outlined her figure.

"It must have been all that dilly dallying you were doing." She called down giggling, the sound seemed to warm me and I still felt her warmth against my side. Her words confused me.

"Are you going to be alright?" I asked concern lacing my words. She smiled and shrugged. I watched her disappear, her final words leaving me perplexed.

"Dilly, dally, shilly, shally."

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Please review and tell me what you think

Well Zoe I hope you liked it, thanks for being such a great friend. Hope everyone else enjoys it!


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